Process for the production of felt and felt fabrics



June 8, 1937.

E. T. KENNEDY Filed Aug. 14, 1956 INVEN TOR d/mm d? 2'4 \ZZ ATTORNEYS Patented June 8, 1937 UNITED STATES PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF FELT AND FELT FABRICS Edmond T. Kennedy, Norwalk, Conn.

Application August 14, 1936, Serial No. 96,021

'7 Claims.

the like which will be uniform in quality and of even texture.

A particular object of this invention is the provision of a new method for manufacturing felted materials which will produce a fabric uniform throughout.

Further objects of the'invention will be apparent from the specification and drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a rabbit skin or the like.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of a mass of cut hairs. It is understood that for the purpose of this invention I use hairs ordinarily. used in producing felt for felt hats and the like and in this particular embodiment the intended views illustrate the use of rabbit hairs though it is evident that other hairs can be made into felt by exactly the same process.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4, shows a perforated cone on which the preliminary felting of the hairs shown in Fig. 3 is accomplished.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the assembly of the apparatus used inmy improved process.

Fig. 6 is an outside elevation of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view showing the apparatus shown in Figs. 5 and 6 immersed in a tank of Water as a part of the process of producing the felted fabric.

Fig. 8 is an elevational View partly broken away showing the finished fabric.

I0 is the skin of the fur used; H being the hairs serving as the raw material for the felt; I2 is a metal cone having a plurality of small perforations upon which the hairs l l are spread in a thin layer and. matted together so as to produce a rough fabric. This matting is accomplished by spreading the hairs lightly over the surface of the cone and then withdrawing the air from the inside of the cone so as to cause a gentle pressure upon the outside of the cone which has the effect of forming a loose fabric of the intertwined hairs.

The cone l2 with the rough fabric I3 is then covered with a top piece of wetted burlap l4 and a side piece of wetted burlap l5, thus surrounding the rough fabric it with a layer of burlap which has been previously wetted.

Over the entire structure is then projected another metallic cone It havingthe relatively large holes I! and a spout I8, it being understood that the cone it will fit over the combined structure of the inner cone, fabric, and burlap tightly so as, to exert considerable pressure on the fabric and which will tend to force the individual fibres to more thoroughly intermesh with each other. It

will be noted that the metal cone I6 is provided with a series of large holes but much smaller in number than the holes shown in the inner cone 12, as I do not require in the improved process hereinafter described the great quantity of holes shown in the cone I2. 7

The assembly shown in Fig. 6 is put on a cradle I9 which is shown schematically and lowered into a tank 26 filled with water 2 l. Positioned in the middle of the tank is a pipe 22 having the various outlets 23 emanating from a central head 24, the pipe 22 and outlets being intended to draw off air or air and water in the direction shown by the arrow in-Fig. '7. A check valve 25 is inserted "on the horizontal portion of the pipe 22 and on the outside of the tank is mounted a pump or blower 26 which will furnish the necessary pressure to force the air or air and water out through the pipe 22. v

In the process hereinbefore described I have given merely the normal and usual preliminary process of producing a felt fabric from animal hairs. The process hereinafter described in the treatment of the fabric is novel and constitutes the gist of my invention.

The assembly shown in Fig. 6 is slowly lowered into the tank 20, the period of immersion for the entire assembly being for the base of the assembly about twelve seconds and for the tip of the assembly including the spout, about three seconds, it beingv therefore understood that the remaining portion of the assembly will be immersed for a period between these two limits.

As soon as the immersion of the cradle supporting the assembly shown in Fig. 6 begins, the blower or pump shown in Fig. 7 is started, the object of this procedure being to withdraw the air trapped on the inside of the cone l2 through the pipe 22 rather than to have this air escape through the meshes of the felted fabric which occurs in the process now customarily used. By withdrawing the air from the inside of the cone l2, the escape and bubbling of air through the perforations in the cone l2 and then through the meshes of the fabric is eliminated, thus avoiding some of the streaking and inequalities in the fabric now produced by the present process.

It is apparent that in exerting pressure to is r the process Iuse; j Having fully, described y inventiom what H but this does notmaterially'afleet the processas the water can be readily-restored to the tank, my entire objectbeing-to withdraw; as-much of the air as possible rapidly'fromthe inside of the cone instead of having it escape throughtheper-j foratio'ns and through the fabricasat present.

After the immersion has been completed :the cradle is lifted, theouter cone [6 and burlap is removed, and the felted fabric 21 isgently dried and'is then ready for'furthe'r operations. I Itis apparentthat changes in the method of removing the air and the form of the apparatusshown may be made'without departing irom' the j spirit of my invention as the' apparatus shovvn is merely intended .to schematically illustrate claim is:;

1. A process for producing felt fromi'animal" hairs by matting animal chair fibres on a cone.

under pressure, wetting" the mat so produced,

superimposing another cone upon the wetted' fibres, immersing the assembly of cones containingthe fibres into water and removing'th'e oc-' cludedair fro'm the inside cone under pressure;

2 In' a process ofrmaking felt from animal 7' hairs; that step whiehconsists in immersing. a?

. .rnatted' cone-of animal fibres i'n-Water andremoving the occluded air froin'th'e inside of the done by pressure iso asto prevent the escapejof'air Y through said fibres.

3. "In a processor making felt iroin lanimal" hairs, assembling and matting; saidhairs on'acone,

Wetting the mat so produced, superimposing an-I.

(anemone upon saidgmat, immersing said cones V with the mat between in a tank of water, and a toprevent -the 'fibresx V A .N L

5. In a process-ct making i'elt from animal hairs, assembling and matting said hairs on a 'cone,"wetting-thezmat sooproduced, superimpos- 'ing'another cone upon said mat, immersing said and, simultaneously removing the airirom undersimultaneously removing the occludedair from underneath said cones by pressure. 4.-In' a process "of making felt from animal hairs, assembling and'matting said hairs on a a we t g the mat so. produced, superimpos- 5 i'l' another cone-upon said mat, immersing sa id Q cdrieswith theima't betweeni'n a'tank offiater,

and simultaneously removing the occluded air',

from underneath said cones by; pressure, so as escape of air through the wetted cones. with the matbetween in a tank of water,

' and simultaneously removing the occluded from underneath said cones by pressure, so as i to prevent the escape of'airthrough thelwetted fibres, and subsequently drying the matted cones so'produced.

1 6'. In a. process of producing v felt, assembling animal fibres under pressure on a form, wetting lathe matted fibres soproduced,v superimposing another form of like structure as the first form fi up'on saidi mat ted fabric, and then subjectingthe ifabric so produced to immersion in -water,.; and

, simultaneously removing the-occluded air mi I theinnermost formuponewhich-the matted-fabric. '7 a y 'l. 'a processpoi' producingielt from", hair, assembling the hairs :upon a; form, wetting j said: a

rests;

form}, exertingfpressure upon 7 said. form, immersingsaid form with the-.mattedifabricrin water,

neath said for'm.

EDMOND 'r. 

